It is often necessary to create temporary walls in large, open spaces, to divide the space into smaller areas. Such a scenario is very typical in large, open office buildings and at convention halls.
Because these walls are temporary, it is desirable that the walls be designed for easy assembly and disassembly. Therefore, these walls often comprise individual wall panels which can be connected to and disconnected from, one another. Each panel typically is of a size which allows for easily storage and transport, but is large enough that not too excessive a number of panels is necessary to create a wall. Such panels are therefore typically of a size of 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall, although the panels can take on any variety of shapes and sizes depending upon the application.
In order to reduce the weight of each wall panel, which allows transport, assembly and disassembly to be accomplished with ease, and to reduce the cost of the materials associated with creation of the panels, each panel typically comprises an inner frame onto which a thin sheet of material is mounted (See FIG. 3). The frame acts as the support structure for the panel, and the sheet material acts as the "wall."
In most instances, the frame comprises assembled thin wood strips. These frame members often are 1" thick by 2" wide wood material. This material provides sufficient support for the sheet material, but is also of a light weight. Construction of a panel comprises assembling the frame members into a typical rectangular or square shape, and then covering the frame with sheet material.
In order to connect the wall panels to one another, a locking mechanism is employed. This locking mechanism is capable of supplying large engaging forces to secure each individual wall panel to the other panels in a manner which provides structural rigidity.
The locking means most often employed in locking such panels together is an interengaging rotary lock system. Such systems typically comprise a first male locking member having an outwardly rotatable engaging member, and a second female locking member which can accept the engaging member. Each member is mounted in a recess in the peripheral edge of the panel, such that when the members are engaged, the adjacent panels form a uniform planar surface (see FIG. 3). Such locks are often called "rotary-action locks." One such lock system can be obtained from the SouthCo-Simmons Company.
These lock systems are installed such that a male lock portion is located in the frame of one wall panel, and a corresponding female lock portion is located in the frame of the adjacent panel. Once the panels are aligned, the engaging member of the male portion of the lock is rotated such that it extends into the female portion of the lock. When fully engaged, the male and female lock members can pull adjacent wall panels together with a force of over 1500 pounds.
Unfortunately, no acceptable means has been devised for mounting the locking members in the wall panel frame in a simple and effective manner. In the first instance, the locking members must be firmly anchored to the wall frame, or the large locking forces will pull the locking members from the frame. Second, it is desirable that the locking members be installable after the panel has been assembled. It is also desirable for the locking members to be easily removable and interchangeable after the panel is assembled.
Prior to the present invention, no means existed which solved both of these problems. In fact, a great need has existed up until the present invention for means for solving these problems.
FIG. 1 illustrates one prior means for mounting a male locking member 10 in a frame member 12 of a wall panel. In this arrangement, holes are provided at the rear of the locking member for attachment to the frame. Unfortunately, because of the thinness of the wood frame, these holes are in a location which does not permit them to be used in attaching the lock member to the frame. Therefore, it has been typical to provide a wooden backup 14 to which the locking member is attached. The wooden backup is centered about the through hole in the frame member through which the locking member extends, and is attached to the frame member.
The wooden backup has the benefit that it can distribute the large pulling force of the lock about a wide area on the frame. On the other hand, the backup itself is quite costly and time consuming to make. Further, because the backup must be larger than the hole through which the locking member extends, the entire assembly must be attached to the inside of the frame member before the sheet material is placed on the frame.
In order to solve the problems associated with mounting of the locking member illustrated in FIG. 1, the system illustrated in FIG. 2 was developed. As can be seen, in this system, a locking member 10 similar to that shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a pair of attachment wings 16 located on each side of the locking member. When the locking member is placed into the hole in the frame 12, these wings abut against the inside surface of the frame member, and screws or other attachment devices can be inserted therethrough to attached the locking member to the frame.
While the system illustrating in FIG. 2 has the advantage of being cost effective in the sense that no extra backup need be used, the locking member must still be installed before the panel is assembled. Further, in either of the first two arrangements, once installed, it is nearly impossible to remove the locking member from the panel without breaking the frame or disassembling the panel, as is often necessary to interchange male and female lock members and the like.
Therefore, there remains a need for a means for attaching a locking member to the frame of a panel, which means allows the locking member to be firmly anchored to the frame of the panel, which allows the locking member to either be anchored to the panel before or after it is assembled, and which allows the locking member to be removed or interchanged after creation of the panel.